Flyers appeared in the Carson area, Los Angeles County with a fake seal of the World Health Organization (WHO), urging people to stay away from Asian restaurants like Panda Express because of the risk of corona pneumonia.
A high school student in this district was also beaten by a schoolmate to the point of being hospitalized after being accused of being an Asian infected with the virus.
Those are the scams, rumors and attacks that Los Angeles officials exposed on February 13 to quell the emerging wave of anti-Asian discrimination in California, where more than half of
Parents pick up their children from school at an Alhambra school district, Los Angeles County, California, USA, on February 4.
Bullying and attacks on Asian Americans have been reported from New York to New Mexico, stemming from unfounded fears of an epidemic originating from China.
`We will not tolerate hate,` said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, urging people to report such crimes to the 211 hotline.
Existing prejudices against people of Asian descent coupled with images in Chinese media have created fear that people of Asian descent are likely to contract the virus.
The masks that people of Asian descent often wear have also become stigmatized.
`We need you to stand up and speak up when you see it happening to others,` he said.
A wave of anti-Asian sentiment emerged in 2003 during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an epidemic that also originated in China.
California is not the only place facing this problem.
One time, she wore a mask outside and received a violent reaction from a woman.
`She started screaming, ‘Are you crazy? Get out of here,’` Yu, 34, said.
An Asian woman wearing a mask in Chinatown, New York, USA on February 13.
Even coughing causes fear, said Ron Kim, a New York state assemblyman who represents the borough of Queens, which has a large Asian and Asian population.
`One of my employees came to the Albany train station and coughed a bit. People around her quickly approached and asked if she had the corona virus,` Mr. Kim said.
`We live in a society driven by fear, if we were like that, everyone would become ugly,` he said.
Ms. Manjusha Kulkarni, president of A3PCON representing more than 1.5 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in Los Angeles County, said that it is urgent to inform people to avoid false information about the corona virus.
`Businesses and restaurants have had a sharp decline in customers,` she said of Asian businesses.
Countries with patients infected with nCoV.
